Machine and method for edging articles



INVENTQR ATTORNEY 2 Sheets s eet l W. JACKSON MACHINE AND METHOD FOR EDGING ARTICLE S Filed May 10, 1945 Patented July 30, 1946 MACHINE AND METHOD'FOR Enema ARTICLES George W. Jackson, Southbridge, Mass., assignor to American Optical Company, Southbridge, Mass, a voluntary association of Massachusetts Application May 10, 1943, Serial No. 486,468

11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for reducing articles to desired contour shape and size and relates more particularly to lens edging machines and novel means and methods of making the same.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a device for reducing articles to' other and with the use of the same abrading means for removing the material of the article or lens from the contour thereof.

Another object is to provide a unitary device of the above character with a plurality of operating heads for supporting an article or lens to be edged to desired contour shape and size whereby the function of said operating heads may be separately and independently controlled.

Another object is to provide a device of the above character so constructed that the abrading means may be quickly, easily and relatively inexpensively replaced when worn.

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature with belt-like abrading means in combination with means for supporting the work whereby different portions of said belt-like means, throughout the length and width thereof, may be utilized simultaneously or separately during the operation of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is apparent that various changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims.

I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction,arrangement of parts and steps of the methods shown and described as the preferred forms only have been given by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the device embodying the invention shown partially in cross Section;

Fig-2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken as on line 2-2 of Fig.1 and -lookingin the directionindicated by the arrows; and i Fig. 3 is a fragmentary VleW of the means for 5 retaining the intermediate drive connection gear [out of mesh with the maindrive gear. i

The idea of providing a plurality of work supporting heads to function cooperatively with unitary abrading means is not new in the art. In the past, however, it was the usual practice to employ abrasive means in theform of a disc shaped member or wheel supported for rotation about a central spindle. A plurality of work supporting heads were positioned at different locations throughout the periphery of thedisc or wheel. Abrading wheels or discs of this nature, in the past, were, in most instances, iormedof an abrasive composition which required. constant dressing and truing of theperipheral surface of the wheel. They were also of such a nature that during the edging of an article, such'as a lens, a certain amount of the'material of the face of the wheel would wear away. This introduced great difficulty in reducing the articles to a desired controlled size and shape and also required the provision of relatively compl cated adjustable means for compensating for'tnewear. Abrasive means of the above character were relatively expensive and most known prior art devices employing such abrasive means were so constructed that it was extremely difficult to replace the said abrading Wheel or disc when worn, Another difficulty was that the amount of. work supporting heads which could be used with any one abradmg wheel of the prior art type was limited and, in most instances, only a relatively small section of the upper circumferential edge of the abrading wheel could be used. As iaras is known no more than one half of the circumferential edge of the abrading wheel was used. It, therefore, is one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide contour forming or lens edging means which is such thatany desirable number of abrading heads may be employed with unitary abrading. means and be independently controlled and operated whereby the resultant edged article or lens will be .more positively and accurately controlled as to size and shape, which will obviate the use oi". truing or 0 honing devices and greatly reduce the cost" and increase the efilciency and production of such edged articles or lenses.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate 5 like parts throughout the several views the device H] adjacent the Opposed ends of the base plate and located below the base plate, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The rollers H) are pivotally supported by brackets I l pivotally attachedat l2 to the base of the machine and held under tension against the belt-like member}! by spring means 1-3. The

tion of movement of the abrading belt 9. The

slide plates .l5'are provided with a plurality of uprights [6 each having upper bearing means If! in which depending stems I8, carried by a pres- I19 belt-like member 9 passes over a pair of rollers sure plate 19, extend. The plate 19 is provided,

adjacent the opposed ends thereof, with spaced supports 23 and 2| to which suitable rollers 22 and 23 are pivotally attached. The rollers 22 and 23 extend transversely of the outer surface of the belt-like member 3, and the plate like member l3 engages the intermediate undersurface of the belt-like member. The plate lS, substantially centrally thereof isprovided with a position control shaft 24 slidably supported in a bearing 25 attached to the uprights [B by thetie members 26. The position control shaft is provided with a reduced depending portion 21 which extends through i an opening 28 ina closed end of the bearing 25. Internallyof the bearing and between the closed end thereof andthe base of the position control shaft there is provided a coil spring 29 normally urging the position control shaft is an upward direction and, in turn, urging the pressure plate I 9 in an upward direction. The extent of upward-movement of said pressure plate is limited by theenlarged heads 33 formed on the depending stems i8 The uprights 5 are provided, adjacent the upper ends thereof, with bearing means 3! and 32 respectively for rotatably supporting clamp shafts 33 and 34. The clamp shaft 33 is adapted to remain stationary and has a bearing pad 35 thereon for engaging the work 36. The clamp shaft 34 is also provided with a clamp pad 31 for engaging the opposed side of the work 36 and is adapted to be rotated and moved longitudinally to permit thespacing of the respective pads 35 and 31 for the insertion and removal of the work or lens 36. The shaft 34 is provided with a collar 38 internally ofa hollow bore 31 formed in the bearing 3Z and is normally urged in a direction outwardly of saidbearing by a coil spring or the like 40. A hand wheel 4| is provided on the end of the shaft34 for manipulating the same. The shafts 33 and 34 respectively are provided with drive gears 42 and 43 which mesh With'an intermediate gear 44 The gear 44 is, in turn, in meshed relation with the gear 45 carried by a shaft 46. The shaft 43 is V rotatably supported in spaced bearings?! and 48. The gear 44 is supported by a bracket 49 depending from a bearing 50. [The bearing 50 is the respective assemblies.

ed adjacent one end thereof with the pivoted arm 54 and adjacent its opposed end with a protrusion been thesupport 51 for the gear 53, is adapted to=constantly urge the gear member 52 into meshed. relation with the respective gears 44 and 53.

As shown in Fig. 3, the arm 54 is provided with a latch tongue 58 adapted to be engaged by a suitable'latch member 59 carried by the depending'bracket 49 by means of which the gear 52 may be held out of engagement with the drive gear 53. This facilitates the stopping or starting of the respectivework supporting means asJdesired. i

The reduced depending portions 27 on the position control shafts 24 are provided adjacent the lower extremities thereof with sidewise deflected portions 63 having a thread-ed bore. A screw member 3! having a hand engagement portion 62 adjacent one end thereof and a contact shoe 63 adjacent the opposed end is adjustably supported in said member 63. The hand contact member 62 is provided with a graduated scale 64 adapted to register with a suitable indicator 65 for determining the position of adjustment of the contact shoe 63. The contact shoe B3 is adapted to engage a former 36 carried bytheshaft 4t and is adapted to control the resultant shape and size to which the article or lens 35 is to be formed. The shape is controlled by the shape of the former St and the size is controlled by theadjustment of the contact shoe 63. The shaft 46 also supports a barrel cam 61 having a cam groove 68 therein in which a suitable pin-6S carried by the upright 73 is positioned. The function of the barrel cam 61 is to cause the Slide plate 5 to be oscillated longitudinally of theslideways l4 dur'ing'the rotation of said barrel cam. The

/ groove 63 is so angled as to control the extent of oscillation and is preferably controlled so as to cause the oscillation to be substantially equal to the distance between the pieces of work held by This distance is in.- dicated at H in Fig.2. The abrasive belt 9 'is driven through belt and pulley connections 12, 53 V and 14, with a driving motor 15. The pulley l4 is'connected directly with the rotor of the motor so as to obtain the relatively high speed of rotation desired of the abrasive belt 9. The motor is provided with a reduction gear drive 16 which is connected by means of the belt Ti to a suitable pulley 13 carried by the shaft 19 which sup-ports the main drive gear 53. The above device may comprise a plurality of units A, B, C, D and E, etc. with each of said units being substantially identical in construction and each supperting the respective pieces of work 355, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2, with the formers 66 being of the resultant shape to which. the article is to be formed. 7

The abrasive belt 9 is adapted to descend into a cleansing trough 83 con-taining a' suitable cleans} ing fluid 8i and also having supported therein a plurality of brush like members '32 for engaging a d cleansing the surface of the abrasive belt- 3.

simulating the gear 53 being mounted on the between the clamp pads 35 and 31'. In the case of a lens the axial position of said lens is controlled with respect to the pads and may be accomplished in a manner generally similar to any prior art lens edging machine. The proper former 66 is placed on the shaft 46, The contact shoe as is then adjusted to control the resultant size to which the work or lens 36 is to be formed.

"When the lens 36 is initially placed between the bearing pads 35 and 31 and is of a larger diameter than that to which it is to be reduced the said lens will exert a pressure on the immediate portion of the-belt 9 with which the lens 36 engages, causing the plate l9 to be displaced against the action of the resilient means 29 to initially hold the former contact shoe 63 out of engagement with the former 66. The gear 52 is then moved into meshed relation with the drive gear 53; It being assumed, of course, that the motor 15 has been energized to cause the belt 9 to be rotated and the gear 53 to be rotated. This causes the lens and former to be rotated at similar speeds through the rotation of the gear 44 and will cause the lens 36 to rotate in a direction opposite to the movement of the belt 9 whereupon the pressure plate l9 being urged upwardly by the spring means 29 will cause the material of the contour of the lens to be removed. Removal is continuous until the former 66 engages the contact shoe 63 whereupon the pressure plate l3 will be raised and lowered under the control of the former 6t: and will carry that particular section of the abrasive belt upwardly and downwardly controlled amounts according to the shape of the former {it with the result that the lens 3'6 will be reduced to the contour shape of the former n and to the size desired as controlled by the initial set position of the contact shoe 63.

Simultaneous to this function the barrel cam 61 engaging with the stationary pin 69 carried by the upright ill will cause the slide [5 to oscillate in a direction transversely of the direction of rotation of the lens 36 thereby causing different surface area portions of the belt 9 to be brought to bear against the edge of the lens 36. It is to be understood that the lenses 36 supported by the respective units A, B, C, etc., as shown diagrammaticallyin Fig. 2, are staggered in the direction of the width of the abrasive belt 9 so as to use different surface area portions of said belt. All of the units A and B oscillate in synchronism so as to cause the abrasive belt to shift throughout its length with respect to the rotating lenses. The gear 45 is formed to such length as to permit different oscillating movement and the rollers 1 and ID are of a sufficient length to permit the free oscillation of the abrasive belt.

When the effective abrading surface of the belt 9 becomes worn a new belt member is placed on the respective pulleys 1 and Ill.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple, efficient and economical means and methods have been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, abraive means in the form of an endless belt. means 6 for supporting an article to be edge abraded for rotation about a. substantially fixed center in continuous engagement with said endless belt type abrasive means, means for moving said abrasive means in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the article and means embodying a former and contact shoe having a portion with a relatively flat surface engaging the endless belt type abrasive means and movable with the contact shoe for altering the horizontal plane of the portion of the abrasive means engaging the article during the rotation of said article and for causing said portion to remain substantially fiat.

'2. The method of reducing a plurality ofarticles' to desired contour shape and size comprising independently supporting said articles to rotate about relatively fixed centers with the edges thereof in engagement with a substantially endless belt-t'ype abrading member with said articles being disposed in spaced relation with each other longitudinally of said abradin member and in staggered relation with each other in the direc tion ofthe width of said abrading member and simultaneously varying the plane of movement of each section of said endless belt type abrading member engaging the respective articles independently and by controlled amounts toward and away from the center of rotation of the articles during the rotation of said respective articles.

3. The method of reducing a plurality of articles to desired contour shape and size comprising independently supporting said articles to rotate about relatively fixed centers with the edges thereof in engagement with a substantially endless belt type abrading member with said articles being disposed in spaced relation with each other longitudinally of said abrading member, simultaneously varying the plane of movement of each section of said endless belt type abrading member engaging the respective articles independently and by controlled amounts toward and away from the center of rotation of the articles during the rotation of said respective articles and simultaneously moving said endless belt type abrading means as a unit in a direction substantially transversely of the direction of movement of the respective articles.

4. The method of reducing a plurality of articles to desired contour shape and size comprising independently supporting said articles to rotate about relatively fixed centers with the edges thereof in engagement with a substantially endless belt-type abrading member with said articles being disposed in spaced relation with each other longitudinally of said abrading member and in staggered relation with each other in the direction of the width of said abrading member, simultaneously varying the plane of movement of each section of said endless belt type abrading member engaging the respective articles independently and by controlled amounts toward and away from the center of rotation of the articles during the rotation of said respective articles and simultaneously moving said endless belt type abrading means as a unit in a direction substantially transversely of the direction of movement of the respective articles.

,5. The method of reducing a plurality of articles to desired contour shape and size comprising independently supporting said articles to rotate about relatively fixed centers with the edges thereof in engagement with a substantially endless belt type abrading member with said articles being disposed in spaced relation with. each other longitudinally of said abrading member, simultaneously varying the plane of movement of each section of said endless belt type abrading member engaging the respective articles independently and by controlled amounts toward and away from the center of rotation of the articles during the rotation of said respective articles and simultaneously cleansing the efiective abrading surface of said endless belt type abrading member.

6. A device of the character described comprising abrasive means, means for supporting and rotating a lens in a relatively fixed position and in continuous engagement with said abrasive means, said abrasive means being in the form of an endless belt, means for supporting and moving said abrasive means in a direction opposite to the rotation of the lens, means for retaining an area portion of the abrasive means adjacent the lens in a. single flat plane and means for altering the position of said area portion relative to the center of rotation of the lens during said rotation while retaining said area, portion in said single flat plane.

7. A device of the character described comprising abrasive means in the form of an endless belt, means for supporting and moving said abrasive means in a given direction, means for sup-' porting and rotating an article to be edged by said abrading means in continuous engagement therewith and in a direction opposite to the movement of said abrasive means and means for retaining the area portion of the abrasive means adjacent the article in a single horizontal flat plane and for moving said area portion adjacent the article toward and away from the center of rotation of said article and means for shifting the abrasive means in a direction transversely of the direction of rotation of the article.

8. A device of the character described comprisi g abrasive means in the form of an. endless belt,rmeans for supporting and moving said abrasivemeans ina given direction, means for supporting an article to be edge abraded substantially in a fixedposition and for rotating said article. while held in said position in continuous engagement with said abrasive means and means for retaining the area portion of the abrasive means adjacent the article in a single flat plane and for shifting said area portion while retained in said flat plane toward and away from the center of rotation of the article during the rotation thereof,

' 9. A device of the character described comprising abrasive means of an endless belt type, means for supporting and moving said abrasive means in a given direction, means for supporting and rotating an article to be edge abraded by said abrasive means about a substantially fixed" center and in continuous engagement withsaid abrasive' means, said article being rotated in a direction opposite the direction of movement of said abrasive means, means embodying a former and a contact shoe having a portion with a relatively flat surface engaging the endless belt type abrasive means adjacent the article and movable with the contact shoe for altering the plane of the relatively flat surface portion and the portion of the abrasive means engaged thereby relative to the center of rotation of the article during the rotation thereof and for causing said portion of the abrasive means to remain substantially fiat.

10. A device of the character described comprising abrasive means of an endless belt type, means for supporting and moving said abrasive means in a given direction, means for supporting and rotating an articl to be edge abraded by said abrasive means about a substantially fixed center and in continuous engagement with said abrasive means, said article being rotated in a direction opposite the direction of movement of said abrasive means, means embodying a former and a, contact shoe having a portion with a relatively fiat surface engaging the endless belt type abrasive means adjacent the article and movable w'ith the contact shoe for altering the'plane of therelatively flat surface portion and the portion of the abrasive means engaged thereby relative to the center of rotation of the article during the rotation thereof and for causing said portion of the abrasive means to remain substantially flat, and means containing a cleansing and wetting bath through which a portion of said endless'belt type abrasivemeans is adapted to travel during a the movement thereof.

11. A device of the character described comprising an endless belt type abrasivemeans,

means for supporting and moving said abrasive i means in a given direction, a plurality of work supporting members disposed in spaced relation with each other longitudinally of said abrasive means; each of said work supporting members embodying means for supporting said work in combination with drive means for rotating said work about a relatively fixed center with the work in continuous engagement with the abrading surface of said abrasive means, means for causing the area portion of the abrasive means adjacent the respective pieces of work to remain 'inarelatively flat plane and for moving said area 7 portions toward and away from the center of rotation of saidwork pieces and means for selectively rendering saidrespective drive means o'perative or inoperative as desired.

GEORGE- w. JACKSON.= 

